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Evaluation

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School Leadership: Development Of An Evaluation Instrument And Process For Administrators, Kathy L. Mccormick Jan 2011

School Leadership: Development Of An Evaluation Instrument And Process For Administrators, Kathy L. Mccormick

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study was conducted for purposes of changing the formal evaluation for school administrators to one constructed around the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) 2008 standards, inclusive of multifaceted components aimed to increase the active participation of both the evaluator and the individual being evaluated. The previous instrument assessed leaders' performance on a set of generic indicators. There were no requirements for pre-evaluation conferences, nor did the school leader have formal opportunity for self-reflection. Outcomes were not linked to district goals, to individual or district professional growth plans, nor to standards or criteria-based process of leadership assessment. …


Developing A Curriculum Evaluation Model For The English Language Center At Brigham Young University, Rie Teraoka Mar 2010

Developing A Curriculum Evaluation Model For The English Language Center At Brigham Young University, Rie Teraoka

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluation is an important process in any language program curriculum to determine whether the program is meeting the needs of students, teachers and others who are involved in the program. The English Language Center (ELC) at Brigham Young University (BYU) is a unique institution that functions as 1) a language school for students from different backgrounds and with various purposes of learning English and 2) as a lab school for undergraduate and graduate students studying TESOL at BYU to have practical teaching experiences. Because of these two purposes, there are constant changes to the curriculum at the ELC. Evaluation is …


Research Experiences For Undergraduates: An Evaluation Of Affective Impact, Brian N. Chantry Dec 2009

Research Experiences For Undergraduates: An Evaluation Of Affective Impact, Brian N. Chantry

Theses and Dissertations

Each year the National Science Foundation (NFS) grants funding for universities in the United States to provide a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) summer program. The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Brigham Young University (BYU) has been a recipient of NSF REU grants for several years. This year the administrators of the REU program at BYU requested an evaluation be conducted to determine if their program was effective at helping participants have a significant research experience, as well as determine the impact the program is having on student's attitudes towards the field of physics, graduate school, and research. This …


Understanding How Evaluators Deal With Multiple Stakeholders, Michelle Elyce Baron Dec 2009

Understanding How Evaluators Deal With Multiple Stakeholders, Michelle Elyce Baron

Theses and Dissertations

Although many leaders in evaluation advise evaluators to balance the needs of the client and other stakeholders, very little is known about how or if practicing evaluators address this injunction. Understanding how practicing evaluators address the needs of multiple stakeholders could inform evaluator training. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe what practicing evaluators do when faced with conflicting stakeholder values. This study invited five evaluators to share their experiences working with multiple stakeholders while reflecting on how they deal with multiple and often conflicting values as they seek to serve the stakeholders. One implication from this study …


Marriage Preparation Education Programs: An Evaluation Of Essential Elements Of Quality, Geniel Childs Jul 2009

Marriage Preparation Education Programs: An Evaluation Of Essential Elements Of Quality, Geniel Childs

Theses and Dissertations

The efficacy of marriage preparation education (MPE) continues to be demonstrated through participant outcome research. However, understanding the elements that make MPE effective is still unclear and standards for quality have not been established. In an effort to address these deficits and promote improvement in the field of MPE, currently available and widely recognized marriage preparation education programs were examined according an evaluative model created by Hughes (1994). The four components of the Hughes model (content, instructional process, implementation process, and evaluation) outline research-supported elements that are essential in the development of quality family life educational programs. Eight MPE programs …


Optimization Of The Material Selection Process For Cryogenic Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels, Mark Vernon Dyess May 2008

Optimization Of The Material Selection Process For Cryogenic Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels, Mark Vernon Dyess

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research was to develop a test methodology for the evaluation of materials for possible use in cryogenic composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs). This paper investigates various micromechanical and macromechanical techniques to test the interaction between fibers and resins. Uniaxial tension testing was performed at ambient and cryogenic temperatures on neat resin samples, straight-sided composite specimens, and NOL ring specimens. COPVs were constructed and burst tested to provide a performance comparison. Results show resins suitable for use at cryogenic conditions display a LN2 temperature elongation to failure greater than 2% and an ambient temperature elastic modulus less …


How Does Video Analysis Impact Teacher Reflection-For-Action?, Geoffrey Albert Wright Mar 2008

How Does Video Analysis Impact Teacher Reflection-For-Action?, Geoffrey Albert Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Reflective practice is an integral component of a teacher's classroom success (Zeichner, 1996; Valli, 1997). Reflective practice requires a teacher to step back and consider the implications and effects of teaching practices. Research has shown that formal reflection on teaching can lead to improved understanding and practice of pedagogy, classroom management, and professionalism (Grossman, 2003). Several methods have been used over the years to stimulate reflective practice; many of these methods required teachers to use awkward and time-consuming tools with a minimal impact on teaching performance (Rodgers, 2002). This current study analyzes an innovative video-enhanced reflection process focused on improving …


An Evaluation Of Compatibility, Effectiveness, Utility, And Implementation Of Plagiarism-Detection Software Operating In The Honor Code Environment At Brigham Young University, George Louis Joeckel Dec 2007

An Evaluation Of Compatibility, Effectiveness, Utility, And Implementation Of Plagiarism-Detection Software Operating In The Honor Code Environment At Brigham Young University, George Louis Joeckel

Theses and Dissertations

Turnitin plagiarism-detection software was operating as a pilot program conducted by the Center for Teaching and Learning in Winter 2007 on the Brigham Young University (BYU) campus. A sample of 6 instructors and 79 student users participated in this evaluation. The evaluation findings show that Turnitin is compatible with the academic honesty environment created by BYU's Honor Code. Turnitin has been effective at detecting intentional and inadvertent plagiarism at BYU. It has also addressed the problem of multiple submissions of the same material. Recommendations are made for promoting Turnitin at the campus and department level. Training tools are proposed for …


An Evaluation Of A Student Response System Used At Brigham Young University, Coral Marie Hanson Nov 2007

An Evaluation Of A Student Response System Used At Brigham Young University, Coral Marie Hanson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project is two fold: (a) to evaluate the technology (hardware and software) of the student response system (SRS) used at Brigham Young University (BYU) and (b) to evaluate which instructional methods being used with the SRS students' feel are most helpful. In the past, the student response systems supported by BYU have not fully met the needs of professors and problems with the systems have limited professors' uses of the SRS. Ten professors were randomly selected to participate in the evaluation using a stratified random sampling technique. The data collection methods consisted of classroom observations, interviews …


An Evaluation Of Brigham Young University's Local Tesol Internship Program, Laura Kathleen Steeby Jul 2007

An Evaluation Of Brigham Young University's Local Tesol Internship Program, Laura Kathleen Steeby

Theses and Dissertations

An evaluation of BYU's Local TESOL Minor Internship program shows the strengths and weaknesses of this academic internship program. Students are required to complete 150 hours of TESOL-related work outside of their courses. The interns volunteer in different English-teaching programs in the area. Internship hours include the time in the classroom, preparation, materials development, as well as the time in the Linguistics 496R course. The interns are required to have most of their minor classes finished before they complete their internship so that their internship can be a capstone to and an application of what they have learned thus far. …


Finding Relevant Pdf Medical Journal Articles By The Content Of Their Figures As Well As Their Text, Ammon J. Christiansen Apr 2007

Finding Relevant Pdf Medical Journal Articles By The Content Of Their Figures As Well As Their Text, Ammon J. Christiansen

Theses and Dissertations

This work addresses the need for an alternative to keyword-based search for sifting through large PDF medical journal article document collections for literature review purposes. Despite users' best efforts to form precise and accurate queries, it is often difficult to guess the right keywords to find all the related articles while finding a minimum number of unrelated ones. Failure during literature review to find relevant, related research results in wasted research time and effort in addition to missing significant work in the related area which could affect the quality of the research work being conducted. The purpose of this work …


Significant Trade Contractor Performance Characteristics As Evaluated By Big-D Construction, Conrad C. Johnson Mar 2007

Significant Trade Contractor Performance Characteristics As Evaluated By Big-D Construction, Conrad C. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to determine which aspects, other than price, of trade contractor performance are the most important to the general contractor, Big-D Construction. The impression a trade contractor leaves on the project manager and superintendent provides an indication of their performance. To determine what tasks trade contractors perform that most greatly impact overall perception of the general contractor's project manager and superintendent, hundreds of trade contractors were evaluated in ten separate categories and were then given an overall rating. The correlation between each category and the overall rating was found. The categories were then sorted from …


Evaluating The Feasibility Of A Performance Improvement Initiative At Byu Broadcasting, Brandon L. Smith Mar 2007

Evaluating The Feasibility Of A Performance Improvement Initiative At Byu Broadcasting, Brandon L. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the feasibility of bridging performance gaps in the program stream between BYU Broadcasting's post production and master control environments by implementing a technical infrastructure that supports a file-based workflow. The system that was evaluated was an Apple Xsan running specialized software, called FORK. Performance gaps were identified and a technical evaluation of the system was conducted. Figuring out how the change initiative would affect and be affected by non-technical factors, such as human nature and social and cultural concerns, was integral to the evaluation process. The evaluation concluded that the System was …


Teaching Theatre History: Re-Directing An Existing Course, Brian Robert Vrtis Jan 2006

Teaching Theatre History: Re-Directing An Existing Course, Brian Robert Vrtis

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is written to detail the process and results of the theatre history class that I assisted in teaching during the fall semester of 2005. It details the process of formulating the class structure, how the class proceeded, my lecture process, and finally the responses that the students had to the class. The first chapter of this paper goes into the process of getting the class formulated. When Shaun McCracken and I were asked to take over instruction of THEA 307 for the fall during Dr. Barnes' sabbatical, rather than exactly following the process that the class had previously …


Sinking Poor Decision-Making With Best Practices: A Case Study Of Artificial Reef Decision-Making In The Florida Keys, Thomas Wayne Williams Jan 2006

Sinking Poor Decision-Making With Best Practices: A Case Study Of Artificial Reef Decision-Making In The Florida Keys, Thomas Wayne Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The natural reefs of the world are experiencing higher use and pressures, resulting in anthropogenic impacts that are deteriorating many coral stands and creating poor water quality. The Florida Keys rely primarily on the reef system that surrounds the archipelago for their socioeconomic health and successful future. The Florida Keys shares the symbiotic relationship of the terrestrial and marine realms with many other states and countries and the experience of higher demand on the resource. Artificial reefs could provide a substitute to the natural reefs for commercial and recreational users. An increased demand for derelict vessels of the U.S. Navy …


Evaluating The Impact Of A Biology I Professional Development Series, Jacquelyn Scipper Sampsell May 2005

Evaluating The Impact Of A Biology I Professional Development Series, Jacquelyn Scipper Sampsell

Theses and Dissertations

Effective professional development offers opportunities for teachers to reflect on their practices, modify and implement changes in the classroom, and eventually impact students? learning. However, professional development must be evaluated to determine whether the desired results are actually occurring in the classroom. The Program for Research and Evaluation for Public Schools, Inc. (PREPS) created a Biology I Workshop series to assist school districts in Mississippi in aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment that will ultimately improve student achievement in the classroom and performance on the current high-stakes test. This study evaluated the PREPS Biology I Subject Area workshops by using Thomas …


Teacher Supervision Methods In Virginia, Gregory Wayne Florence Jan 2005

Teacher Supervision Methods In Virginia, Gregory Wayne Florence

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated teacher supervision methods in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the absence of state mandated requirements. The literature supports the use of formative and summative feedback, multiple data sources and methods, collaboration between teacher and supervisor, professional growth goals linked to school improvement, and measures of student learning.A web-based questionnaire was used to survey 229 public elementary school teachers across Virginia regarding which teacher supervision methods are used, teacher perception toward those methods, and whether teacher perceptions vary with the method, supervisor's leadership style, or teacher characteristics. The data suggest that a majority of school division supervision programs …


Hearing The Difference: A Computer-Based Speech-Perception Diagnostic Tool For Non-Native Speakers Of English, Justin Reed Shewell Jun 2004

Hearing The Difference: A Computer-Based Speech-Perception Diagnostic Tool For Non-Native Speakers Of English, Justin Reed Shewell

Theses and Dissertations

This project was completed to fill a need in the field of pronunciation teaching and learning by providing a computer-based, speech-perception diagnostic tool that helps determine learners' problem areas in the perception of English speech. Current diagnostic tools are few and very limited in their scope and application in the language classroom. The Perception of Spoken English Test diagnoses learners' specific speech perception problems, alerting teachers to areas that require special attention in a particular course or lesson. This project involved the development, production, piloting, evaluation, and revision of a computer-based instrument in an intensive English program. The data collected …


An Implementation Of A Drill And Practice System To Assist In The Teaching Of Basic Music Theory, Todd C. Wilson Mar 2004

An Implementation Of A Drill And Practice System To Assist In The Teaching Of Basic Music Theory, Todd C. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

In order to help a group of introductory-level music students achieve a foundational understanding of music theory, a series of computer-based instructional modules were developed using a system called Technology-Assisted Language Learning (TALL). This system, though primarily intended to be used in developing natural language-based instruction, was designed to be flexible enough to handle a broad range of academic subjects. The design of the instruction was largely accomplished via formative evaluation, where student and expert reviews of prototypes played a significant role. Students reviewed three separate prototypes of the instruction, and experts in instructional design and evaluation were also asked …


Reducing Learning Object Inspection/Evaluation Costs In Instructional Design, Larry Lynn Seawright Jul 2003

Reducing Learning Object Inspection/Evaluation Costs In Instructional Design, Larry Lynn Seawright

Theses and Dissertations

A widely employed instructional design approach, the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) model, has been one of the most popular and well documented instructional design models (Wilson, Jonassen, and Cole, 1993) for decades. Despite its widespread use, Thiagarajan, a leading instructional technologist, asserts that ADDIE, as an instructional design approach, is comparable to an outdated 1950's manufacturing model (Zemke, 2002). Since the 1950's, manufacturing has evolved, focusing initially on reducing inspection or evaluation costs and later on shifting these cost improvements throughout the organization. Just as manufacturing models and their application have evolved, service operations models such as instructional …


A Latter-Day Saint Perspective On Evaluation, Courtney Miriam Glenn Peck Jul 2003

A Latter-Day Saint Perspective On Evaluation, Courtney Miriam Glenn Peck

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluation scholars argue that evaluation as a discipline has traditionally rested on the assumption that knowledge should and can be evaluated objectively. As a result, evaluation has focused too much on techniques and methods, becoming paramountly an objective and technical enterprise that disregards any personal or moral responsibility that evaluators have.

How would a Latter-day Saint perspective of evaluation reframe evaluation as a moral rather than technical enterprise? The doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides powerful insights for evaluation that place moral responsibility in the forefront of evaluation. Knowledge in an LDS perspective is not …


Tools And Metrics For Evaluating Modular Product Concepts Based On Strategic Objectives, Matthew Bailey Strong Jan 2003

Tools And Metrics For Evaluating Modular Product Concepts Based On Strategic Objectives, Matthew Bailey Strong

Theses and Dissertations

The design of modular products has recently become the focus of significant research in the area of design theory and methodology. This focus is the result of increased awareness of the potential power of modularity to achieve certain product objectives. However, there continues to be a gap between the results of academic research and industrial application. The refinement, consolidation, and extension of this academic research would help design teams who are charged with developing modular products to use these academic findings in real world, industrial applications. The research presented in this document focuses on developing design tools, based on past …


Application Of Dietary Guidelines For Guatemala In Three Rural Communities Of Chiquimula, Sandra Liseth Salazar Donis Jan 2000

Application Of Dietary Guidelines For Guatemala In Three Rural Communities Of Chiquimula, Sandra Liseth Salazar Donis

Theses and Dissertations

In Guatemala, nutritional problems are directly related to the difficulty to purchase food fit for human consumption due to low family incomes as well as low nutritional education. This situation motivated the realization of the present study whose main objective was to apply the dietary guidelines for Guatemala in three rural communities of Chiquimula. All three communities were previously aided by Benson Institute efforts to promote changes in eating behavior. The sample was comprised of mothers from the El Pinalito, El Guayabo, and Maraxco communities of the department of Chiquimula. There were eight mothers, four literate and four illiterate, from …


The Development And Validation Of The Missionary Language Performance Test, Blair E. Bateman Jan 1995

The Development And Validation Of The Missionary Language Performance Test, Blair E. Bateman

Theses and Dissertations

Performance tests are an effective way of assessing examinees' ability to perform specific job-related tasks. This thesis details the development and validation of a performance test designed to measure LDS missionaries' ability to perform missionary tasks in a foreign language, the Missionary Language Performance Test (MLPT).

The development of the test involved identifying a set of relevant missionary tasks, specifying the criteria to be evaluated, designing test items, devising a procedure for sampling tasks and for administering and rating the test, and training raters to administer the test. Three separate studies were conducted to validate the test: (a) both the …


General Diagnosis Of Salitrón, A Village In San Juan Ermita, Department Of Chiquimula, Fredy Samuel Coronado López Jan 1995

General Diagnosis Of Salitrón, A Village In San Juan Ermita, Department Of Chiquimula, Fredy Samuel Coronado López

Theses and Dissertations

This study reports on the development of a diagnostic tool to assess the current socio-economic and cultural conditions as well as physical and natural resources among the rural communities of Salitrón and San Juan Ermita, Chiquimula, Guatemala. This diagnostic tool revealed the current situation in these communities, especially in the population dedicated to agricultural production. Several alternative recommendations are provided to improve development projects in these communities. This project was made possible through the participation of CUNORI (Centro Universitario de Oriente) agricultural students.


The Formulation Of An Adult Dramatic Program For The Division Of Recreation And Parks In Henrico County, Virginia, Sandra Bishop Jan 1983

The Formulation Of An Adult Dramatic Program For The Division Of Recreation And Parks In Henrico County, Virginia, Sandra Bishop

Theses and Dissertations

It is hoped that the contents of this thesis will help to provide a course of action through which the dramatic arts program may move closer to the objectives established for it by the HDRP administration. The dramatic arts program for adults, as set forth in the thesis, should create specific goals so that the HDRP may provide a consistent direction for the development of a dramatic arts program for adults. The adult dramatic arts program as formulated in the thesis should, combined with the already established dramatic arts program for youth, form a major portion of the comprehensive cultural …


The Scouting Difference: Development, Direction, And Evaluation Of A Documentary Film, Kirk E. Strickland Jan 1982

The Scouting Difference: Development, Direction, And Evaluation Of A Documentary Film, Kirk E. Strickland

Theses and Dissertations

There is a need for supplemental reference material of an in-depth, specific nature to suggest methods of general application to the novice film director. Because film production is such a highly collaborative art, craft, and business with limited opportunities open to beginners, the novice director can benefit a great deal from the documented experiences of another. This study will provide insight into the practical role of the film director in motion picture production. In this way, this study can influence directorial practice in a positive manner by offering a forewarning of potential production challenges and help the novice to avoid …


An Evaluation Of Lds And Non-Lds Reactions Toward A Byu Produced (Non-Member Oriented) Film, James H. Wilson Jan 1968

An Evaluation Of Lds And Non-Lds Reactions Toward A Byu Produced (Non-Member Oriented) Film, James H. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years the Brigham Young University Motion Picture Studio has been producing films with the specific purpose of appealing to the non-member or non-LDS (an abbreviation for Latter-Day Saint or Mormon) person.
As a part of the Church's missionary program, these films are designed to persuade, convince and bring about conversion to the teachings of the Mormon Church. Consequently, in many phases of film production there is a bias factor. Members of the Church (employees of the Brigham Young University Motion Picture Studio) are endeavoring to determine the most effective themes and techniques to utilize in communicating to a …